Safety ash receiver



R. G. FOX

SAFETY ASH RECEIVER June 2 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 14, 1948 23 1 "mar 18 1 1 fiaer 4' 1 01 June 26, 1951 3, FOX 2,558,551

SAFETY ASH RECEIVER Filed May 14, 1948 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Im-mtor Robert 5 Fax QWW Patented June 26, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to safety ash receivers and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an ash receiver having novel means for extinguishing cigarettes.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an ash receiver having novel means for holding lighted cigarettes therein.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an ash receiver having novel mechanical means for emptying banks of snufiers forming a part of the invention.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an ash receiver having novel mechanical means for emptying an ash receiving tray forming a part of the invention.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention,

' Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the device shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line l-4 of Figure 5,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along lin 66 of Figure 5, and

Figure '7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 'l-'! of Figure 4.

Generally there is provided a safety ash receiver which eliminates much of the danger of fires caused by careless dropping of lighted cigarettesand which eliminates the unwanted odors emanating from burning butts of cigarettes and burning match stumps. The device comprises a container in which is fitted a tray having an opening in its center in which normally rests a' ball valve. A framework holds a pair of banked snuffers and gears and levers are provided for reversing the banks of snuffers and simultaneously opening the valve in the tray whereby smoking debris may drop within the container. Provision is made for the automatic return of the levers and valve. A novel holder for live cigarettes is provided and which is designed to automatically extinguish lighted cigarettes therein. The holder is so positioned that cigarettes left therein may not accidentally fall outside of the tray.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown therein a hollow cylindrical con-' tainer l0 having an open top in which is mounted a tray ll having its sides downwardly sloping toward the center of such tray and which is provided with an opening I2 wherein rests a ball valve l3 having an upwardly extending shaft M.

A pair of uprights I 5 are mounted on the bottom of the container I!) at diametrically opposed points adjacent the outer wall of the container and extend through the tray 1 I and are soldered or welded thereto, as indicated at 16, and terminate in journals ll for the reception of the outer ends of shafts ill, the inner ends of which extend through a gear housing l9 and terminate upon the opposite side of such housing in each case, as indicated at in Figure 7.

Surrounding each of the shafts l8 between the journals I! and the gear housing I9 and extend ing a short distance within the housing I9 is a cylindrical member 2| having a gear 22 afiixed to its inner end within the housing l9 and having affixed thereto outwardly of the gear housing a block 23 having a plurality of snuffer wells 2 The shaft [4 extends upwardly into the housing l9 and is afiixed, as indicated at 25a to a vertically extending rack 25 having vertically extending rows of teeth 25 adjacent one side of each face thereof in engagement with the gears 22. In Figure 4, this rack 25 is shown in its uppermost position. The rack 25 is also provided with centrally disposed vertical rows of teeth 21 upon opposite sides. The teeth 21 are in engagement with gears 28 carried by shafts 29 mounted transversely in the housing l9.

At their outer sides the gears 28 are enmeshed with racks 30 having upwardly extending shafts 3| which protrude through the top of the housing 19 and terminate in finger pieces 32. Suitable guide walls 33 are provided for the rack 25 and a pair of vertical partitions 34 is provided to assist in the assembly of the device and to provide centering guides for the gears 28. The partitions 34 extend inwardly from the sides of the housing l9 to points adjacent the rack 25.

Connected with the bottom of the housing l9 by a series of dependent arms 35 is a cigarette holder formed of a continuous strip of material into a series of spaced U-shaped cigarette receivers 36.

In operation, it will be apparent that the tray l I may be used in the conventional manner, that is to say for the reception of burned matches,

ashes and for the butts of cigarettes. The receivers 36 may be utilized for temporarily holding lighted cigarettes. If a lighted cigarette is inadvertently left in the receiver 35, when it has been consumed to the point of contact between itself and the receiver, it will automatically cease to burn due to the compression of the cigarette at that point between the arms of the receiver. The wells 24 may be utilized to immediately extinguish a cigaretteand when it'is desired to empty the wells 24 of accumulated ashes, it is only necessary to press upon one of the finger pieces 32 whereupon the blocks will be rotated to a. reverse position and the contents of theweils will fall therefrom by gravity into the tray II. This is effected by a rack 30 engaging with a gear 28 which, being engaged with the-rack :25,

will cause the same to rise, thereby rotating the gears 22 which are affixed to the cylindrical members 2| upon which the blocks 23 are mounted. Atthe same time the raising ofthe'rack'25 will cause a corresponding lifting "of the shaft .14 and hence the ball valve 43 "from the opening H2 .in the :tray, therebyxallowing the contents of the tray tofall by gravity into the container 10. When pressure is released from the finger pieces 32, as aforesaid, the various parts :of the device will return to their original positions, due to the Weight of the. ball "valve I3'which is sufiicient to move the shaft 14 and racks 25 downwardly and home, through the rotation of the gears 22 and 28, the raising of the finger pieces .32 and the return revolution of each-of the blocks 2:3.

While but one formof the invention has been shownand described herein, it will be readily apparent :to those skilled in "the art that many minor modifications-may be .made withoutldeparting fromthe spirit of the invention or the sc pe of the appendedclaims.

1 What is claimed'is:

1. .A device of the character described comprising a container, 9. tray supported at the upper endof the container and having an opening therein, frame members extending upwardly from the tray, a gear housing, horizontally extending shafts journaled in the frame members and ex tending through the housing, a ball valve dependant from the housing and adapted to seat in the openingin the tray, blocks having snuffer wells afli-xed to the shafts, operating levers extending from the housing, and racks and gears insaid housing operable by such members for rotating the blocks and unseating the valve.

.2. A device of the character described comprising a container, a tray supported at the upper endof the container and having an opening therein, frame members extending upwardly from the tr-ay, a gear housing, horizontally extending shafts journaled in the frame members and ex tending through the housing, a ball valve dependant from the housing and adapted to seat in the opening in the tray, blocks having snuffer wells affixed to the shafts, operating levers extending from the housing, racks and gears in said housing operable by such members for rotating the blocks and unseating the valve and means dependant from said housing for retaining lighted cigarettes, said means comprising a substantially circular band of flat material bent to form a plurality of spaced U-shaped cigarette receiving units.

3,. A'device of the character described cornprising a container, a tray carried at the upper end-of the container and having an opening therein,. a pair of diametrically opposed vertically extending upright members extending through and afiixed to the tray, journals in the upper ends of the upright members, a gear housing, horizontally extending shafts mounted in thejourna'ls and extending through the housing, azball valve dependant from the housing and adapted to seat in the opening in the tray, blocks having snufi'er wells affixed to the shafts, operating levers extending from the housing, and racks and gears in said housing operable by such members for rotating the blocks and unseating thevalve.

4. A device of the character described comprising a container, a tray carried at the upper end of the container and having an opening therein, a pair of diametrically opposed vertically extending members extending through and aifixed to the tray, journals in the upper end of the verticalmembers, a gear housing, horizontally extending shafts mounted in the journals and extending through the housing, a ball valve dependant from the housing and seated in the tray opening,- cylindrical members surrounding the shafts and extending into the housing, blocks having snuffer wells aflixed to the cylindrical members, operating levers extending from the housing, and racks and gears in said housing operable by such members for rotating the cylindrical members and unseating the valve.

ROBERT G. FOX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,331,872 Plucker Feb. 24, 1920 2,255,428 Leiman Sept. '9, 1941 2,453,026 Maney F Nov. 2, 1948 

